Top 3 ways to save money

[minimammy]

Hi all I've scanned the posts within CC and I've got some great ideas.
What would you say are your top 3 ways you've saved money. Whether it be when to do food shopping, cooking, childcare, nights out, holidays, kids activities .... whatever really.

1. Don't auto renew insurance or utilities, use comparison sites to choose best deals 2) Fill freezer with food from yellow sticker discounts 3) Bulk buy items like toilet roll 4) Always do overtime it offered 5) Use cash back and point systems 6) Buy at car boot sales and fayres

Have you tried piwop.com if you aren't desperate for something you can set a PIWoP and it will tell you when it comes down in price.

My top three:

1. Cutting down on/stopping eating out - £20 (for example) vs £4 at home is five times the cost
2. Overpaying on your mortgage each month (if you have one) - you can literally save tens thousands of pounds in interest
3. No impulse shopping - try not to buy anything like clothes etc unless it's been on your list for at least a week

Keep a record of everything you buy over the month, the first month you will see things you maybe didn't realise you were buying the second month you will think twice about something's you just don't need.

Get good at fakeaways - I love decent supermarket pizzas in the fridge/freezer (or dough to make your own), Iceland curries, puff pastry plus toppings, frozen croissants/cookies to bake at home.

Take a bottle of water/cordial with you wherever you go, saves buying a drink out. Since I've got DD with me I also take a mountain of fruit/snacks so we both have things to graze on if we want.

Buy cheaper cuts of meat, have veggie days a few times a week, or cook things in bulk that are cheaper to make and can be frozen.

I'll also throw in a DAILY MAIL ARE CUNTWEASELS as I feel the thread is heading that way

Make good use of tax breaks, whether it's on childcare, charity donations, overpaying into your pension, cycle to work schemes, ISAs e.g. if you pay tax at 40%, your £60 pension contribution will be worth £100.

Be financially literate, read the small print, don't sign up for things you don't understand.

Travel - if you have an annual season ticket on the train, link it to your Oyster card for the linked discount and remember to do it every year, claim delay repay - watch the exact time the train arrives and claim it back, make good use of travel cards and discount deals, e.g. you often get better value not spending your airmiles to and from the UK.

My three are:

1 Always take picnics/snacks/water on days out that way avoiding expensive cafes.

1. Shop in Lidl.

1. Check cupboards/freezer for meal ideas before you go shopping

Beware the deals on in some supermarkets, some are not deals at all. Saw two for a fiver deal today, but the larger verson of the same product was cheaper than the two smaller ones put together but was the same weight.

Don't buy teas and coffee out, way too expensive.

I also take wine disguised as apple juice into the theatre etc as the cost of a glass of wine can be astronomical.

Always look at the reduced section in the supermarket. You might not use the items now but if you can freeze the items, then it is worth buying and freezing for another day.

Unless you would be tempted to spend too much, use a credit card with rewards for all purchases and pay off in full at the end of each month. That way your money spend gives you extra.

One more, never food shop when you are hungry.

Following, I'm an absolute bugger for wasting money

I'm particularly dreadful for buying food and coffee out and about.

As reminded from another thread - I saved a fortune You Tubing how to cut hair and cut the children's hair at home. It is infinitely easier than making them sit still in the hairdressers too!

Give each £1 a job, allocate it and know exactly what you have to save and to spend. Seeing in real terms that you may have £600 in your bank account but £25 in your frivolity pot really focuses the mind.

At the start of the month allocate money to savings, pay yourself first. Pay off debt ASAP as it is so expensive and a waste.

Plan meals and days out, picnics and a thermos are a massive saving.

Transfer some money into savings as soon as you get paid by standing order. If you get a rise, increase the savings.

It's difficult eh?
How do you save towards the big things holidays, cars etc ?
I move money as soon as I'm paid. I've also started to trickle money as I call it from my current account to savings every time I check my balance.

Well I work out how much the big things cost and when I want them and save that monthly, for a new car that would be saving over 3-5 years probably.

My top 3
1.Write down everything you spend and take some time to examine how you felt /why did you buy that?
Will throw up trends/emotional /tired spending and so you can make changes .
2.Meal plan and stick to it /packed lunch while you make dinner /flask or cup Contigo for coffee .
3.Beware of top up shops -use cash so that you cant buy silly extras that end up being £20/£30

Give each £1 a job, allocate it and know exactly what you have to save and to spend. Seeing in real terms that you may have £600 in your bank account but £25 in your frivolity pot really focuses the mind

YNAB is great for this. I've only been using it for 4 days, but I'm a total convert Currently have in the account enough money that it looks like I could have a bit of a treat, but because I know it is all more than allocated, in reality I kind spend anything.

I think this is the one big thing you can do to save money, is to be hyper aware as to where the money is spent. Seeing my small spends added up into a months worth in a category has been fairly eye opening.